STATEWIDE -- Gov. Chris Christie has announced that he will schedule a special election for October for Frank Lautenberg's vacated senate seat.

Christie himself is up for re-election the following month, in November.

The New York Times noted, "The move was expected to draw criticism from Democrats in the state, arguing that such a move by Mr. Christie, a Republican, would amount to squandering taxpayer money to protect his own political ambitions. Scheduling a special election rather than adding the vote for the Senate seat to the November ballot would cost millions of dollars.

A special Oct. 16 ballot means the choice of a new senator will not overshadow the race for governor, which will now remain at the top of statewide ballots in November."